Monday, October 13, 2014

Newsday Article Takes a little look forward, and a little look backward at Congressman Michael Grimm’s run in 2014

However, to minimize the 2014 lack of support from the national GOP, Grimm himself brought up the 2010 elections and said some crazy things about those days — In the process, Grimm rewrote some of the GOP history from 2010 — Basically, it looks like Grimm said, “...they didn’t help me get elected...”

According to Grimm: he doesn't have to listen to the Republican leadership “OR ANYONE ELSE” — Because they didn't help him get elected in 2010

According to yesterday’s report in Newsday, “With Republican Rep. Michael Grimm under federal indictment and abandoned by his national party, Democrats have placed a big bet on capturing the Staten Island-southern Brooklyn congressional seat that has been in GOP hands for 32 of the past 34 years. *** The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is buying ads and financing a ground operation for challenger Domenic Recchia. The National Republican Congressional Committee has provided no funds for Grimm....” ( See “After Rep. Michael Grimm's indictment, Democrats seek to flip longtime GOP House seat” by Emily Ngo, 10-12-14
Newsday [http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/after-rep-michael-grimm-s-indictment-democrats-seek-to-flip-longtime-gop-house-seat-1.9495692] [emily.ngo@newsday.com] ).

The main thrust of the article is that a large influx of DCCC [ national committee to elect Democrat Members of Congress] money and other resources are about to start to leverage Domenic Recchia’s campaign into a formidable force in the final days of the campaign. They specifically mentioned TV advertising.

On the other hand article’s author noted that Grimm was hanging in there against the onslaught. However, a problem might have cropped up as a result of Congressman Grimm’s attempt to shrug off his current lack of support by so many in the GOP.

GRIMM DOES A BIT OF A REWRITE OF GOP HISTORY FROM THE 2010 CAMPAIGN

Newsday made much of the point that the GOP’s national operation had cut off Grimm’s funding and other resources for his 2014 campaign for re-election. Grimm more or less indicated that he’s OK with that, because he had run without the GOP’s support in the past.

According to the report in this Sunday’s Newsday, “Grimm points out he didn't have or need national GOP support when first elected in 2010. *** "That's why I'm so independent," he said. "I don't have to listen to Speaker Boehner or anyone else, because they didn't help me get elected."

Okay, if the RNC didn’t put anything into Grimm’s race in 2010 and are doing the same now, then maybe he could make the argument of not having to listen to the GOP leadership, and that might result in making him more independent.

However, to add in this line: “... or anyone else, because they didn't help me get elected....” goes too far. Certainly, local GOP leaders and partisans very much helped Grimm out, both in the 2010 Republican Primary and in the General Election later that year.

Grimm’s lack of support among many Republicans in parts of the 2010 campaign made him say crazy things then; and Grimm’s lack of support among some Republicans in 2014 is again making him say crazy things in 2014 — both about this year’s election as well as the ones that happened in 2010.

One of my very reliable Baker Street Irregulars from the other side of the pond (actually the Narrows) has told me that I can take this to the bank. Well, I’m sure we’ll find out about that soon enough, I suppose.

This fine fellow says that the pseudonym "Cthulhu4Prez" in all the comments appearing in the SI Advance is Michael Grimm himself. If you check out this link [http://connect.silive.com/user/Cthulhu4Prez/index.html] you will see that is quite a lot of chit-chat indeed. Again, I have been assured that this information is from a rock solid source.

So there you have it – my reliable source tells me I can take it to the bank because it’s from a rock solid source. What are the chances that it isn’t absolutely true ? YOU TELL ME !

FOR GRIMM, IF THE ISSUE IS HIS PERSONAL CORRUPTION, IT’S MERELY A DISTRACTION FROM OTHER ISSUES — GRIMM WOULD RATHER THAT YOU FOCUS ON “...NICKEL AND DIME...” STUFF

This is how the Times kicked off it’s coverage of Congressman Michael Grimm’s re-election effort: “This question Michael Grimm liked. *** Representative Grimm, a two-term Republican known by many for threatening to throw an inquiring NY1 reporter off a Capitol balcony, was asked during a minuscule news conference on Staten Island last week whether his challenger’s emphasis on personal issues — like, say, the 20-count federal indictment against Mr. Grimm — was distracting voters from more substantive ones....” (See “Under Indictment, Grimm Fights to Keep His Congressional Seat” by Jason Horowitz, 10/14/14, NY Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/nyregion/under-indictment-grimm-fights-to-keep-his-congressional-seat.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=1]).

The Times says that for the Democrats, the congressional seat held by Grimm is the most winnable for them in all of New York State. What the Times didn’t say is that, arguably, the Staten Island-West Brooklyn seat is the most winnable seat of any held by the GOP, that’s why the RCCC has written off Grimm as far as the national Republican caucus is concerned.

For his part, Grimm’s responses in this article in the Times shows that he still doesn’t get that this election is all about him and what he has done vis a vis his businesses and his finances . For a pathological narcissist, one would expect that he’d welcome the rapt attention on him, and what he has done in his life — but not in this instance, it seems. For Grimm this is a distraction from other issues.

Unfortunately for Grimm, how did the Times quote the Congressman’s talking about those issues vis a vis his opponent ? The words that jumped out were “...NICKEL AND DIME...”

btw, the Times specifically mentioned Grimm's Geraldo interview, where the GOP candidate said that he might have to resign sometime in 2015 — that would be a long, long time after it was reported as a big deal here on this blog.

About Me

I formerly have commented on various political blogs concerning Republican politics. Although the focus of my political commentary has been on the Brooklyn GOP and other aspects of politics in Brooklyn, I have also posted commentary about national matters.
If you wish to contact Galewyn Massey directly, please, Email to galewynmasban@gmail.com